The 113th edition of San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers will bring thousands of runners to the city streets early Sunday morning, along with street closures to accommodate the wandering party.
Famous for its wild costumes, naked and/or scantily clad participants, and themed running groups, the freewheeling foot race is one of those unique “only in San Francisco” events that has become an institution with more than a hundred years of history behind it.
What is the Bay To Breakers?
The Bay to Breakers is an annual running race in San Francisco that usually takes place on the third Sunday in May. The race was started in 1912 with the intention of raising spirits in the city still recovering from the deadly 1906 earthquake, and to promote the then upcoming Panama-Pacific International Exposition that took place in 1915.
The race has continued long past its original purpose, although there were points where participation was as low as just 50 runners during World War II. Still, the race was held every year, gradually growing in popularity and becoming an iconic and irreverent part of San Francisco culture.
According to the Wikipedia page on the race, the Bay to Breakers “has been run over a specific course and length for more consecutive years than any other running race in the world.” The race entered the annals of the Guinness Book of World Records in 1986, when that year’s edition saw 110,000 participants, setting the record as the world’s largest foot race. The global pandemic led to virtual versions of the race in 2020 and 2021, but the Bay to Breakers returned in full force two years ago.
What is the route from Bay to Breakers?
The Bay to Breakers route has changed somewhat in recent decades. Initially, the starting point was the Ferry Building, where racers ran along Market Street to Golden Gate Avenue before turning onto Divisadero Street. However, in 1968, organizers moved the start to the less busy Howard Street, while the Divisadero climb was moved to Hayes Street. The current course cuts from Howard St. at Ninth St., turns west along Hayes St. and up the challenging Hayes Street Hill near Alamo Square. After the hill, the trail follows the Golden Gate Park Panhandle on Fell Street before heading west through Golden Gate Park to the Great Highway and Ocean Beach, where the trail ends.
Bay to Breakers
The entire Bay to Breakers trail is 12 km long. The route was originally set up by organizers to mimic another venerable Bay Area event, the Dipsea Race. Founded in 1905, the Marin County running race travels from downtown Mill Valley to Stinson Beach.
When does the Bay to Breakers start?
This Sunday race starts at 8am, with the first wave of runners setting off from the Howard Street start line at that time and subsequent waves following until 8.45am. The course closes at 12:30 PM on race day at the intersection of JFK and Chain of Lakes Golden Gate Park. Race organizers advise that competitors who have not passed that junction before 12.30pm will not have the opportunity to cross the finish line on the Great Highway, which closes promptly at 1pm. More detailed information about the Bay to Breakers can be found on the official race website.
What is the traffic impact from Bay to Breakers?
The Bay to Breakers will take place early enough on Sunday morning that traffic from the huge crowds of runners and the associated street closures will not be significantly impacted. However, there are closures throughout the city, but in preparation and for the race itself.
The first street closures will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. at the downtown staging area, near the race start in Main, between Mission and Folsom. That area will remain closed until 5 p.m. Sunday. The race will also close the Great Highway between Sloat and JFK between Saturday 9:00 PM and Sunday 4:00 PM
On Sunday mornings there will be closures along the entire route, with a concentration of street closures in the center of the staging area from 3am. These include:
- Beale between Mission and Folsom
- Fremont between Mission and Folsom
- First St. between Market and Folsom (Muni allowed from Market to Mission)
- Second St. between Mission and Folsom
- New Montgomery between Mission and Howard
- Howard between Beale and Third St.
There will also be intersection closures on Howard at Beale, Fremont, First, Second and New Montgomery. Drivers should expect heavy traffic along the race track due to street closures. There will also be Sunday morning closures for multiple entrances to Golden Gate Park during the race.
While the Bay to Breakers will force some bus route changes, the race will also alter Muni’s usual weekend service time to accommodate expected crowds. The Market Street Subway will open early Sunday morning at 6 a.m., with additional service on the N Judah and S Shuttle lines between the West Portal and Embarcadero stations. Complete details on street closures and service impacts are available on the SFMTA website.
BART also offers four trains with limited stops before regular BART service on weekends to transport Bay to Breakers runners. The special service will take race participants to the Embarcadero station around 7 a.m
The special early morning trains pick up passengers with limited service from Millbrae, Daly City, and 16th Street Mission stations in San Francisco and on the Peninsula and from West Oakland, MacArthur, Pleasant Hill, El Cerrito del Norte, Bay Fair, and Dublin stations in the East Bay. These stations will be the only stations open early for service. The four early trains will go out of service once they drop off passengers at Embarcadero. Passengers cannot board these trains at Embarcadero.
More information about the special service can be found on the BART website. Caltrain and Golden Gate Ferry will also provide additional services to accommodate Bay to Breakers participants. Public transportation is recommended for those participating in the race due to potential traffic and parking issues.
Is the Bay to Breakers still a wandering company?
Although there will inevitably be drinking among participants (not to mention the spectators lining the course), San Francisco city officials and race organizers in 2009 made changes to the rules prohibiting the use of floats (which were often used to transport full wagons) is prohibited. kegs of beer), alcohol, drunkenness and nudity. The changes were in response to residents living along the race track complaining about problems with public intoxication and urination in their neighborhood. Although the race has toned down somewhat since those changes, there is still a festive and hedonistic atmosphere to the proceedings.
